Boise - The Land of Potatoes (and Really Good Hair)

Other than coming down with a head cold (typical once any break starts) on the last day of my trip, the mini-break to Boise, Idaho was great fun.  My friends Tami and Jeff moved from California to Idaho a couple of years ago, and this was my first chance to get up there to see them.  First and foremost, my favorite part of the visit was of course visiting with my friends.  Beyond that, the cool weather and the soft water were a close second and third.  A few years ago several communities in Los Angeles banned salt-based water softeners for environmental reasons.  This past weekend is the first time in years that I’ve washed my hair in soft water.  Ahhhh, it was so manageable and soft and easy to do.  Boy do I miss that soft water!

Anyways, back to Boise.  Here are some highlights…

We went to the Boise State football game against Colorado State.  Broncos’ football is kind of a religion in Idaho.  It was windy and rainy – good football weather.

Boise State is known for the blue, rather than green, football field.  On TV it looks almost teal, but in reality it’s a very deep blue.

 Compared to the watching USC play at the Coliseum with it’s 70,000+ seats, Bronco stadium seemed so small.  Our “cheap” seats were very close. 

The city of Boise is just a few minutes from Tami and Jeff’s so we went in quite a few times over the weekend.  It’s a very small and clean city.  I was surprised to learn that it also has the largest Basque community in the US.

   
The Idaho State Capitol Building 

We went to three or four coffee places while I was visiting, and none of them were Starbucks!  Big City Coffee was probably my favorite of them all. 

       


   
Right near Boise State there are several different museums and educational centers. 

    Boise Art Museum (BAM)

The White Elephant’s exhibit by Billie Grace Lynn.

Idaho’s Black History Museum and Abraham Lincoln statue.


The Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial educational park was very moving.

   
Bridge over the Boise River

A pretty sky…

There are several drive-in/diner/dive-type restaurants in Idaho that have been featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives television show.  We stopped in at the West Side Drive In.


A used bookstore in the Hyde Park area of Boise…
 


I arrived back into LA right on time yesterday afternoon and then proceeded to take three hours to get home from the airport.  Rigby was happy to finally be picked up and taken home last night, as evident by these photos.

What a nice trip.  Thanks to Tami and Jeff for their hospitality!

AND

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sat 9

Sitting in the Oakland Airport half way to my long weekend destination. Apparently my next flight is delayed an hour and thirty minutes, make that 2 hours and 30 minutes. Thankfully there's (intermittent) free wifi. A Saturday 9 will distract me.
1) "Live and Let Die" was nominated for an Oscar as best song. Do you have a favorite movie song?
What a hard question! There are so many good songs and I'm having a hard time differentiating whether they were written for a movie or just in a movie. Maybe Simple Minds' "Don't You Forget About Me" from The Breakfast Club or "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls from that angel movie that had a good soundtrack but wasn't a very good movie. I know there are plenty of greats out there, but those are two that I still have in my playlist today. Can't wait to see what others pick.

2) The latest Bond movie, Skyfall, is crazy successful. Have you seen it/do you want to see it?
As a matter of fact I did see it last weekend. I enjoyed it. It explained a little bit of JB's past which was interesting.

3) What do you think makes Bond movies so enduringly popular? Being a fan of spy movies is why I like them plus they're fun. To be honest I've only seen the more recent ones, maybe the last one or two of Pierce Brosnan's reign and then all the Daniel Craig movies. The effects in the newer ones are so much more realistic than those before them. Frankly, the older ones were just a bit too corny for my taste.

4) Do you have a favorite among the actors who have played "Bond, James Bond?"
Since I've only watched two actors portray JB, I'd have to say I do like Daniel Craig. Although Sean Connery is a great actor, so I'm sure I'd like him too if I watched his movies.

5) Bond orders martinis -- "shaken, not stirred." What's your regular drink order?
I haven't had an alcoholic drink in so long, that's such an unfair question! I'd love a glass of Malbec, or an ice cold Corona, and a blended margarita too.

6) Moving from the bar to breakfast -- do you have a favorite cereal?
I don't like cereal. Actually, I don't like milk so the thought of sweet, soggy grain floating around in a bowl full of it doesn't appeal to me at all.

7) Let's daydream about warm weather. Would you rather swim in a lake, the ocean, or an outdoor pool?
I love to swim so I like all three except the lake slightly less...can't see the bottom.

8) Did you get 8 hours' sleep last night?
No, up late packing so maybe 5.5. Honestly though 8 hours of sleep during the week is a rarity.

9) What are you wearing on your feet right now?
Sneakers

Odds and Ends

It seems like just yesterday that I spoke excitedly about the cool weather!  In fact, I think it was just yesterday.  (Today it was back up into the 80s…again – going later and later every year.) Over the long weekend, our temps dropped into the 50s/60s during the day.  It was heavenly.  A small storm had passed through So. Cal. on Friday, and the skies were gorgeous over the weekend.  The color of blue we get after a storm is something.  I wish I could recreate it with paint.
It was a blustery fall day on Saturday.  Even after a windblown walk, Rigby’s energy was through the roof.  We played some ball She ran around the backyard carrying the ball while I stood and watched. 

Rigby has two clean beds (one up and one downstairs), a clean couch, clean rugs/carpet and I even let her on my clean bed, but she has chosen to cuddle up with the dirty feet towel that sits by the back door.

And some fun things found online…

Yes!

My kind of spontaneity…

So nice, but get a tissue. 

The Ellen Show filmed this at the Costco in town.  So funny! (Can’t ever tell if I embed these YouTube videos correctly.  Here’s the link, just in case.)

That’s all I’ve got tonight.  Happy Wednesday!

Saturday 9

Just got home and it’s FREEZING!  I love it! Snuggling up in bed with a Saturday 9.

1) Do you come up with your brightest ideas early in the morning or late at night?  I’m not very high functioning in the morning, so I’d have to say nighttime.  However, my best ideas come when I’m somewhere I can’t act upon them – the car, the shower – and then I forget them.

2) Are you more likely to feel romantic at night or in the morning?  See above, but as long as it’s not too early in the morning, either way is good…I’m easy.

3) Do you shower in the morning, after work or before bed? Morning

4) Is there an artist whose early demise surprised and saddened you?  I guess Kurt Cobain was the most tragic celebrity death of my generation.  This might be cold-hearted, but I’m never very surprised about a celebrity death.

5) Do you have a cool nickname? (If not, feel free to give yourself one right now.) I’m not really one for nicknames, but my friend Jlo calls me K-Mac

6) When was the last time you had the blues?  The work drama over the last couple of years had me reeling a bit.  Just last night I went out with some friends who are still at that school.  Even listening to the things that are still going on there, caused me to be on edge.  I had to remind myself, thankfully I don’t work there any more.  That is such a relief. 

7) Crazy Sam is eating Trader Joe's Snickerdoodles as she composes this. What's the last snack food you ate?  I had Ruffles with a sandwich for dinner the other night.

8) Do you worry about preserving endangered species? Or do you believe in survival of the fittest?  If they are cute and/or furry I am concerned.  If they are slimy or scaly, not as much.  Seriously though, animals and plants on the verge of extinction is a travesty, and the repercussions of extinction should worry all of us.

9) Would you ever hire a lawyer who runs commercials on TV? Do you know anyone who has? No and no

Results

Obviously, I am pleased with the national election outcome.  There was some worry over the closeness of the race, and if we’d even know who would be the new President before the end of the month.  I’m relieved it didn’t turn into another Bush/Gore debacle.

Late last night, our state election was still up in the air.  But with less than half the counties reporting, Prop 30 was not looking so good.  I went to bed, half heartedly holding my breath.  What a sigh of relief to wake up to a tide that has turned.  With most precincts reporting, Prop. 30 seems to have passed.

Even though I was hopeful, with the current climate towards education and teachers and taxes, I knew it would be a fight.  A lot of the anti-30 campaign ads continued to spout that rhetoric. 

With the narrow support of the proposition, schools (according to Governor Brown) will not be touched anymore when additional severe cuts are made to balance the budget.  Schools were concerned as they’ve already been hit so very hard, running on bare minimums.  Furlough days, over 5 for some, up to 30 for others and massive teacher layoffs were predicted . 

Right now, teachers, principals, superintendents are all breathing a little bit easier.  The education budget hasn’t gotten any better, but at least with prop 30 passing it shouldn’t get any worse. 

Let’s just hope we can take Gov. Brown at his word.

Is It Over Yet?

Tomorrow is election day.  Between the national and state elections…thankfully it’s all finally coming to an end.  The ads, the mudslinging, even the news has gotten too much.  A night or two ago, I had the television on while cooking dinner.  During one of the commercial breaks, all but one of the commercials was a campaign ad.  To be honest with you, I don’t want to listen to, watch, or read anything more about this freaking election.

It sounds like the presidential race is going to be too close to know the outcome by tomorrow night.  That has been the prediction for the last week or so.  It could be the end of the month or later before we actually know who won.  Oh great…   

There have also been reports about voter intimidation, on both sides.  The more I read about it, the more I get sucked in, the more I don’t know which way is up, and the more I think both parties are completely insane.  Roseanne Barr was on the ballot for the Peace and Freedom party.  Maybe I should have just voted for her.  Could she be any worse?  (Don’t answer that.)

We’ve got some important propositions on the California ballot.  Two, specifically 30 and 32,  directly impact my job as a teacher.  If 30 doesn’t pass, K-12 education will be cut by $5 billion, a disgusting amount.  We’ve also got a proposition that would nullify the state’s (unused) death penalty and oddly a measure to ensure our state’s porn stars are getting tested and wearing condoms – requirements that are actually already in place.  There has been so little, if anything, said about the death penalty proposition.  The only reason I’m aware it’s on the ballot is because I read it in the booklet.  I would have thought removing the death penalty as punishment would be a big deal, (I’ve heard more about the porn measure) but it’s been nothing but a blip during election season. 

We’ve been studying US government in social studies over the last month or so and my kids have been anxiously waiting for this election.  They’ve watched the debates at home and come in spouting their (or their parents’) thoughts.  After the last debate, one of my students announced emphatically that “Obama won!”  I reigned in the class, we reviewed the election lessons, and we talked him out of his announcement with a reminder that the election hadn’t even happened yet.  As I thought about it later, I think he mistook the news reports that Obama had won the last debate to mean he won the election.  Regardless, I’ve been thrilled that they are interested.

This afternoon, Room 16 (my classroom) held its own presidential election.  The kids were SO excited they could hardly stand it.  They filled out their ballot behind their privacy board so their vote remained a secret and then dropped their ballots into our ballot box (that was their favorite part I think).
Afterwards, they made a prediction about who they thought got the most votes.

Then we tallied the votes.  Obama won by a landslide. 

There are about 24 hours left in our election season.  We may not know all the outcomes in 24 hours, but at least the worst part of these elections will be finished. 

Merry Thanksgivoween

 
It’s hard to believe that we’ve just celebrated Halloween, and now October is over.  I was looking for some Halloween things at the store this past weekend and they already had Christmas decorations and were playing Christmas music.  Really, it didn’t as much put me in the Christmas spirit, but rather ticked me off a little bit.  Can we just worry about one holiday at a time please?  I am however looking forward to the end of Daylight Savings time this weekend.  It has been so dark getting up over the last few weeks.  There’s something to be said for waking up in the daylight rather than the middle of the night.

The end of October also means another Calendar Challenge from the Kathryn Wheel.  I didn’t think I’d done too much this month, but when I went through my journals I had made more pages than I thought.  Which makes me happy.

   

Merry Thanksgivoween!